CD: JOE COUNTRY – We’ve Gotta Pray

JOE COUNTRY

We’ve Gotta Pray
We’ve Gotta Pray – I’ll Arise And Go Back –
Bring It To Jesus – Gone – I Wanna Go To Heaven When I Die – Only Love
Can – The God On The Mountain – Without Him I Can’t Do Nothing – All My
Sins Are Taken Away – It Reaches To The Highest Mountain
 
I’ve heard about Joe Country.  My good friend Mike Johnson
in Virginia put me on to him some years ago.  The first thing I need to
do is quote a statement from Joe’s new album…. “I must first thank GOD
for giving me His grace and strength to complete this CD.  I want to
also extend my gratitude to Buddy Riddel and his family in Ohio for
support in the production of this CD.  I’m pleased with the outcome of
this production.”  I’m pleased too.  I’ve wanted to hear what Joe
Country has been doing with his music.  This is strictly a downhome
gospel album, and the music is great.  The album doesn’t tell us where
it was recorded at or who the musicians are.  But, they are doing a
great job, and the producer did a remarkably good job bringing their
talent to the forefront.  Joe Country has an interesting background, he
came to America from the Caribbean, 
 and he keeps some
of his calypso roots in this delightful Gospel CD.  Joe is a very
distinctive ‘country’ artist.  He’s different, but he keeps a lot of the
original mountain style mixed with his Gospel to create a very new kind
of ‘country’ sound.  I know he is also a yodeler (though he doesn’t
yodel on this CD), and he’s a good one.  Four of the ten songs on this
album were written by Joe, meaning he’s also a good composer.  I will be
looking forward to hearing what he develops in the future.  Oh, I
forgot to tell you, Joe is a colored man.  It simply amazes me that
old-time or traditional country music can attract such a large and
diverse audience as well as performers.  There was a recent article on
the BBC recently entitled “The Nation In Love With Country Music.” 
“Cowboy boots, checked shirts and country music might conjure up images
of the American south, but Dolly Parton and her fellow country singers
have a dedicated following across the world – not least in Uganda. Fans
often meet in Kampala and large numbers gather for the annual ‘Let’s Go
Country’ event, where horse riding and mud wrestling feature alongside
live music.  Last year the headline act was country singer Holly Tucker,
from the American series on the TV show The Voice.  Most popular song
at this event, you guessed it, “Coat of Many Colors.” If Holly Tucker
can go to Uganda to share her country music, why can’t Joe Country and
Mike Johnson do the same?We want to wish Joe Country the best of luck
with his music, stay with Jesus who will lead the way, and come see us
sometime.  Tighten up the vocals a little, and it’s off to the Rural
Roots Music Commission this one goes. My favorite song on this album,
one of Joe’s originals, “I Want To Go To Heaven When I Die.”
MUSIC REVIEW BY BOB EVERHART – www.ntcma.net 
for Country Music News International

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